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By
Angela Montefinise
Four
years of late night study sessions, hard work, and relentless
dedication have paid off for 38 Queens high school graduates, who had
the honor of being named valedictorians of their high schools this
past year – an honor that earned them the title of the Tribune’s
“Best of the Class of 2002.”
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Queens’
38 brightest young minds were honored by the New York Public
Library recently, when the borough’s high school
valedictorians were presented with Minerva Awards to honor
their achievements.
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From
math to English to foreign language to science, these top minds
excelled in their studies, reading and writing their way to the best
grade point averages in their respective high schools. As they stood
in their caps and gowns during commencement ceremonies across the
borough, they represented the best that their classes and Queens have
to offer, and proved that the future of the borough is as bright as
their parents’ proud smiles.
The
borough’s brightest young minds joined other valedictorians from
across the City on June 12 to receive merit awards from the New York
Public Library, an institution that has been honoring the five
borough’s top students for the past 20 years with Minerva Awards,
named for the Roman Goddess of Wisdom.
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The
Minerva Awards are given to high school valedictorians across
the five boroughs each year to honor their academic
accomplishments. This year, over 100 students were honored
with the New York Public Library awards, including 38 brains
who hail from Queens.
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The
awards were given to over 100 brainy teens this year, including many
who were not born in the United States, representing the ethnic
diversity of the City and Queens. In the City’s most diverse
borough, valedictorians hailed from India, China, Korea, and a host of
other European, South American and Central American countries.
Each
student excelled in the classroom, earning the highest averages of
anyone in their respective schools, but also excelled in the
community, working in libraries, hospitals, restaurants, and at
newspapers. Some worked in after-school, peer tutoring or literacy
programs, while others acted as translators in doctor’s offices,
visited senior centers and nursing homes, and volunteered at churches
and synagogues. Some have even written books, and one has performed on
Broadway and in soap operas.
For
their hard work inside and outside of Queens’ school buildings, the
students received certificates of merit from the Library, as well as
two tickets to a Mets game, a collection of books, and a collection of
commencement addresses by well-known people. Each valedictorian had to
give his/her own speech at commencement, speaking for his/her class as
the members prepare to take on college and the world.
Library
President Paul LeClerc said he was extremely proud of the
accomplishments of the students, and said at the awards ceremony,
“We give out these Minerva Awards not just to recognize what the
valedictorians have already done, but to encourage them to do even
more as they leave high school. We want to assure them the academic
accomplishment is recognized and valued.”
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Academy
of American Studies
Thomas Kong
August
Martin High School
LeFaith Scott
Aviation
High School
Denny Lee-si Reyes
Baisley
Bay High School
Marlen Salinas
Bayside
High School
Summaya Adam
Beach
Channel High School
Zoila Quezada
Benjamin
N. Cardozo High School
Daniel Ho
Business,
Computer Applications
and Entrepreneurship Magnet High School
Precious Jackson
Far
Rockaway High School
Leticia Seaton
Flushing
High School
Jared Salcedo
Forest
Hills High School
Monica Ahmad
Francis
Lewis High School
Henry Lau
Grover
Cleveland High School
Elda Bruza
The
High School for Arts and Business
Raffi Garcia
Hillcrest
High School
Satwant Singh
Humanities
and the Arts Magnet High School
Efeya Sampson
International
High School
Guillermo Jimenez
Jamaica
High School
Lalita Devi Ramnaraine
John
Adams High School
Kathy Lee
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John
Bowne High School
Padamavathy Ravichandran
Long
Island City High School
Merima Jakirlic
Martin
Van Buren High School
Michelle Teixeira
Mathematics,
Science Research and Technology
Magnet High School
Safaraah Williamson
Middle
College High School
Marc Dela Cruz and Giovanni Escobedo and Nicole Wilkat
New
York City Vocational Training Center
Brian Dyall
The
Newcomer School
Olga Mayorga
Queens
Academy of Outreach
Leidy Buitrago
Queens
Gateway to the Health Sciences
Moromoke Odina
Queens
Vocational and Technical School
Katarzyna Slapinska
Richmond
Hill High School
Yanilda Gonzalez
Robert
F. Kennedy Community High School
Anda Halilaj
Robert
F. Wagner Jr.
Secondary School for the Arts and Technology
Natalija Vesic
Springfield
Gardens High School
Luxia Blackwood
Thomas
A. Edison High School
Raj Ahsan
Townsend
Harris High School
Joshua Rosaler
William
Cullen Bryant High School
Chen Pan |
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